Howdy...Where y'all eatin at downtown?

[nickdahammer]

I can vouch for the Eastside Market- great submarine and meatball sandwiches. Gotta get there well before noon though, because the place is crawling with DWP and City people. Another all-timer for me is Lanza Brothers market & deli. They are not open on Sunday (at church, so the sign says) but make a great Italian sub. Real friendly, neighborhood place. They are right around the corner from the San Antonio Winery (another great place I forgot about). Just over the bridge from Chinatown, into Lincoln Heights.

Jeez, there are so many great places to eat downtown.

Lanza Brothers Market + Deli - Lincoln Heights - Los Angeles
San Antonio Winery: Home

Originally Posted by jdavid93225

I thought of Uncle John's too, but you beat me to it. I like their teriyaki chicken. A friend of mine used to mix his coleslaw into his fried rice, so one day I tried that, too. I've never eaten it any other way since. Be warned, though, that Uncle John's is a small "diner" type of establishment, so you may need to stand by the wall until a seat becomes available. Don't worry, it doesn't take too long. If this happens to you, place your order ahead of time, so it will be ready around the time you're seated.

Another place that serves a similar menu is Howard's Cafe on Alvarado at 11th St. I'm not sure if it is still that way, but they used to be owned by a relative of the owner of Uncle John's. It is a bigger restaurant than Uncle John's, so seating tends to be easier to obtain.

On the east side (actually in East L.A.) is El Tepeyac Cafe (on Evergreen between Wabash and Cesar Chavez). They are most commonly associated with their burritos, but they have other things, too. I really like their huevos rancheros, but be careful, because they're spicy.

Like several others, I enjoy The Pantry once in a while, especially if I'm down that way for breakfast. The portions are fairly large (at least they were last time I was there), so if you go, be sure you're hungry.

A couple other places I like are Catch 21 and Fisherman's Outlet, both of which are on Central, near where it intersects with 5th St. They both have similar menus offering fresh grilled or fried fish selections.

Finally, I should mention East Side Market. Even though I've never eaten there, I've heard rave reviews from people all over the city about their sandwiches. They are on Alpine St. not far from the intersection of Cesar Chavez/Sunset Blvd. and Figueroa St.

[BRinSM]

i'm going to second pitfire pizza. i actually ate there last night (they have a couple westside locations), so good. definitely the best pizza i've had in LA. the great thing about it is they have some crazy artisan style pizzas with weird toppings, but you can also make your own pizza if you're strictly a pepperoni or sausage type of person. try the burrata (sp?) pie, really good!

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by JohnG72

First off, the Pantry is not good IMO. The food quality is just meh.

El Tepeyac is great. Fishermans Outlet is outstanding. Just do not go at noon. For Fishermans Outlet, go before 11:15AM or after 2PM. Be warned its in a bad area and you should not attempt to walk there. Catch 21 is not the same.



-Shakeys for lunch: 2023 Cesar Chavez Blvd., E. Los Angeles, CA 90033
Tel. 323-263-9177. I think lunch is all you can eat $5 or $6.

-Korean BBQ house: 323 E 1st St Los Angeles, CA 90012. Everything is under $10, a complete meal with 4 or so very small side dishes included. Its great.

-Johnny Rockets:
5th Street & Figueroa
445 S. Figueroa Street, Suite 201
Los Angeles, CA 90071
213-488-0015

Little Tokyo
131 S Central Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-626-0480

-Pastagina: Simply, inexpensive pasta. Everything less than $10.

Pastagina - Grand Ave.
255 S. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: (213) 626-1192
Open Mon-Fri 11am-9pm; Sat-Sun 11am-8pm

Pastagina - Market Lofts
645 W. 9th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: (213) 626-1164
Open Mon-Fri 11am-9pm; Sat-Sun 11am-8pm

TOT Restaurant: Ok Japanese food sans sushi.

T.O.T. Restaurant

Farmer Boys: 24 hours, way better than normal fast food.

Farmer Boys® - World's Greatest Hamburgers

726 S Alameda St.
Los Angeles, CA 90021

Yang Chow: Very good americanized Chinese food. Always super packed at lunch, crowded at dinner time. Slippery Shrimp and Pan Fried Noodles w/mixed ingredients FTW.

819 N. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90012
TEL: (213) 625 - 0811
Yang Chow Restaurants - Mandarin & Szechuan Cuisine

LA Mall:

201 N. Los Angeles St
Los Angeles, CA 90012

A few restaurants there. Its ok. Everything is cheap. California Pita is the best of the places there. Everyone that works at city hall eats there.

Various cafeterias:

There is one at the DWP building, one at the Ronald Reagan Building, and one at the Cal Trans Building. The Cal Trans on is easiest to access. These are all for lunch. Not sure any are still open at dinner time.

Pitfire Pizza:

Delicious. Located at 2nd and Main. Don't get the mac and cheese as the portion is miniscule. Pitfire Pizza (http://www.pitfirepizza.com/index.html - broken link)

Bonaventure Brewing Company:

Bonaventure Brewing Company : Home

Yardhouse:

Located at LA Live. Cheaper at happy hour.

Welcome to Yard House Restaurants - Great Food, Classic Rock, World's Largest Selection of Draft Beer

Weilands:

Not my favorite place in the early evening because too many LAPD cops go there. Cops cannot handle alcohol and generally act like a@@ and its much better later in the evening with a more laid back crowd. Before anyone gets up in an uproar over my comments, remember these are not the patrol cops in this area. These are the desk cops that work in the LAPD HQ downtown. So no excuse for their behaviour.

400 East 1st Street, LA, CA 90012

Weiland Brewery | Los Angeles

I think it depends on what you think is good..Most like the Pantry for good, old fashion simple American diner type of good, gourmet, NOT>..

Nita

[jbunniii]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Grand Central Market yet. There's some great takeaway Mexican food at some of those stalls. Ana Maria's Gorditas are fantastic and cheap, highly recommended. They make a mean fish taco too.

[sweethome1]

Originally Posted by jbunniii

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Grand Central Market yet.

There is a Chinese Cafe on the Hill Street side that is ALWAYS packed with people from open to close with people drinking beer. They either have really cheap beer or really good food, so that place is on the to-try list. Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions so far....we surely have a lot of ground to try to cover in the next month.

[sweethome1]

[quote=Mr.Bungle;13088260]
Do you like sausages? How about beer? try out Wurstkuche.
quote]

Yes and yes.....read about this place and wanted to give it a try as well. Heard they are making some crazy sausages over there...

[DowntownVentura]

Philippes has gone downhill, imo. The prices are sky-high now, for what you get.

I also liked the Pantry more years ago.

I think Philippes and The Pantry are living on their reputation

I was just in downtown last week and we ate at Cliftons (on Broadway), which is another classic. That is still as good as it was.

I noticed a lot of high end restaurants around Staples.

I only go to Los Angeles once every few years so I don't know the good, tucked-away restaurants.